Christchurch - New Zealand

When we arrived in Christchurch we were greeted by Charlotte our next house sit who was very kind and friendly on first meet. The airport was smaller than I thought but modern. When we arrived at their house we had a lovely meal prepared for us and a very excited dog Denver.

After the 2011 earthquake which shook Christchurch it was left with widespread damage and weakened infrastructure on  a lot of the buildings. Most of the are not repaired buildings throughout Christchurch are held up with shipping crates, which was a shock to me at how much repair still needed to be done. After speaking to Charlotte and Pete who were part of the rebuild projects, we found out that there was controversy over whether to pull the buildings down and rebuild or to try and preserve the buildings architecture. Looking at how much still needed to be done and the safety of the buildings I would say pull them down and start again.

When we took Denver for walks we went up to Victoria Park via Dyers Pass which over looked Christchurch. The views were amazing from up here very hilly green grass, a wooded area and a large open dog park. There are also bike paths to take but you have to very adventurous as these are steep and hilly.







The City Center was about 30 mins walk from the house and the area was very industrialised, lots of old shipping containers, warehouses and of course fast food restaurants. They city centre itself was nice, the smallest city I've been to I think but lots of things to look at. A tram line through the centre of a small mall and colourful buildings. The earthquake damaged the shopping area and mall so they have used shipping containers as temporary shops, these are more boutique shops but there are malls about 15 minute drive from the centre.

Attractions in and around Christchurch.

• Waimak Horse Trek: I have ridden horses for most of my life but Lee has not so I wanted to organsie a trek and this company sounded great with lake treks but unfortunately most horse treks have weight limits of 110kg and when your 6 foot 2 its hard to find a horse big enough for you. Most of the horses at this company are 15 hands or smaller. The price I felt was reasonable at $60 New Zealand Dollars (today's exchange rate £28) for 1 hour.

• Cave stream: This reserve is a 362 meter long pitch black cave which ends in a deep pool and waterfall and  which has 2 different entrances to walk along. You do need to check the weather before going as the water levels rise within the cave but it is free and lovely for picnic and walking at any level.

• Christchurch Tram: The tram takes you around the city and shows you the history of Christchurch. There are different price options to choose from, just the tour of the city, botanic gardens tour or even an evening meal tour.

• Hanmer Springs:  These are natural thermal pools with water jets, rock pools and waterfalls. It is about 90 minutes from Christchurch and cost $22 (today's exchange rate £10.40) but you can upgrade to a  private thermal pool for $40  (today's exchange rate £19) each. I would recommend looking this place up before you go as when I read reviews it didn't sound very good, was more like a water park and the a lot of the reviews now say the pools smell of chlorine and not natural. After reading the reviews we decided not to go as wasn't worth the drive there to be disappointed. 

 

• Akaroa french town: This is a 2 hour drive from Christchurch and most definitely worth the trip. When your driving up and up the hills nothing prepares you for the views from the top over looking the town with crystal blue waters. The town itself is small but easy to walk around and plenty of lovely places to stop and eat. We went on a hot day and sat in the park and people watched, very relaxing. 

• Adrenalin Forest: Among natural surroundings you will find 6 different levels of tree top challenges and 3 hours to complete the course, although I don't think you will manage it unless you do adrenalin courses everyday. We managed 4 levels but the higher you get the harder it is. You definitely have to have some fitness before attempting this. the 3 hours you there costs $42  (today's exchange rate £20) each. A very fun, tiring day.  

• Mini golf: Within the city there are 2 mini golf courses,Monsters & Zombies and Pirates Island although I think the Pirates Island is closing down. The monsters and zombies mini golf cost $13  (today's exchange rate £6.15) each one round indoor and outdoor.

 

 

• Waimairi Beach: A dog friendly beach to the east of Christchurch. Lovely white sand and the best bit is... it isn't over crowded even on school holidays.

 

• Botanic Gardens - In the centre of Christchurch there are lovely gardens to take a picnic and relax under the trees. Plenty to see whether your interested in gardens or not.

Our stay in Christchurch was great and the house sitting made it so much better. Sad to say goodbye but there are more exciting things ahead. Join me next time in North land New Zealand - Opononi.